


To Be Free

by ViennatheDachshund



Category: Free!, free - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Gen, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-25
Packaged: 2019-06-13 16:49:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15368982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ViennatheDachshund/pseuds/ViennatheDachshund
Summary: A recently retired Olympic swimmer.A third year year middle school student.A reclusive man in his mid thirties.In a story of heartbreak, loss, and loneliness, these three must learn what it means to form true bonds of friendship.Even if those bonds span lifetimes.





	1. A Fateful Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> The water is alive.
> 
> Once you dive in it will immediately bare its fangs and attack.
> 
> But there is nothing to fear.
> 
> Don’t resist the water. 
> 
> Accept it…
> 
> ...That’s what Nishimura Misaha always thought…

Finishing the last lap, Misaha raised her head out of the water. She lingered for a second, looking to her left. As always, the pool was empty.

 

“Nishimura-chan! The pool is closing!” Ueda, the swimming club’s owner, called from the doorway.

 

“Okay. I’ll be right out,” Misaha replied. She pushed herself onto the side of the pool and headed back towards the locker room.

 

It was always the same. She arrived late and stayed late. Part of her felt guilty for keeping Ueda so late, but there was no other time she could come to the club. Soon, however, it wouldn’t even matter.

 

Misaha finished changing and grabbed her bag. Exhaustion was overcoming her and she wanted to hurry home, but Ueda stopped her.

 

“Ah, Nishimura-chan! I’m sorry to bother you about this, but I was just wondering when you would have the payment in for your membership renewal?”

 

Misaha stared at her feet. She wanted to get back in the water.

 

“Nishimura-chan?”

 

Why couldn’t she just get back in the water?

 

“Nishimura-chan, if things are difficult…”

 

“I’m quitting,” she muttered, still staring at her feet.

 

“...What?”

 

“I said I’m quitting swimming,” she said louder. She looked up and saw the shock on Ueda's face.

 

“Quit swimming? You can’t!” he protested.

 

“Why not?”

 

“It’s just...you’ve got the most beautiful crawl I’ve seen since-”

 

“Since what?” Misaha snapped.

 

“Well...since a long time ago…”

 

Misaha looked away. She was sorry she snapped, but she didn’t want anyone prying any further. It’s not like she was actually amazing either. Ueda was just saying that to try and keep her as a patron.

 

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

 

“I’d like to talk to you about this further,” Ueda said as he turned to open the door.

 

No. They wouldn’t talk further. Misaha had no plans on returning here. She would just have to wait until it was warm enough to swim in the ocean, despite how desperately she wanted to be in the water.

 

“I’m sorry sir, we’re closing up,” Ueda said.

 

Misaha peeked around him to see a man, probably around the same age as Ueda, standing in the entrance way. He was Japanese, that was certain, but there was something about his manner of dress that seemed foreign. Or maybe it was the pointy teeth.

 

“I’m sorry to bother you so late, I was just hoping to take a peak when there weren’t so many people around...I wanted to remember how it all began…”

 

Misaha rolled her eyes. Just some old guy getting nostalgic about his past, probably. Well, at least he distracted Ueda.

 

“Rin? Matsuoka Rin?!” Ueda shouted.

 

Wait. Matsuoka Rin? As in _the_ Matsuoka Rin? The four time 100 meter butterfly Olympic gold medalist Matsuoka Rin? What on earth was _he_ doing here? Sure, Misaha had heard that he had been a part of Sano SC when he was a kid, but why was he was here _now_?

 

“Hm? Do you want an autograph or something?” Rin asked her, his eyebrow raised.

 

Misaha turned pink. She had been so surprised, she didn’t realize she had been staring.

 

“I- I don’t need an autograph from an old man like you!” she blurted out in panic.

 

The room went silent for a moment, then Ueda burst out into laughter.

 

“Yeah, old man, stop pestering a young girl like that,” he said through chuckles.

 

“Shut up! You’re the same age as me, you know!” Rin shouted at him.

 

Panic was rising up in Misaha. People were laughing at her. Getting angry over what she said. She had to get out. She had to leave.

 

“It’s a good thing you showed up, actually. Nishimura-chan here just told me she was...retiring from swimming,” Ueda said, wiping a tear from his eye.

 

“Really?” He looked at Misaha, his gaze unbelievably intense. “Why are you quitting swimming?”

 

 _“Stop looking at me like that. You don’t even know me,”_ Misaha wanted to say, but instead she just averted her eyes and clenched her fist.

 

“That’s the response I keep getting, too” Ueda said.

 

Rin stared at her for a moment longer, then his expression softened. “Okay, let’s make a deal,” he said, putting his hands on his hips, “let’s have a race.”

 

Misaha blinked.

 

“...Eh?”

 

“A race! You and me!” Rin said, as if it was no big deal.

 

Was this guy actually an idiot?

 

“I can’t race you!” Misaha protested.

 

“Why not?”

 

“I’m just a middle school girl! You’re a four time Olympic gold medalist! There’s no way I can win!”

 

“You don’t have to win. It’s an inverted race!”

 

Now she was completely lost.

 

Rin laughed. “What that means is, if you win, you get to quit, if I win, you have to continue swimming.”

 

“But that doesn’t make any sense at all!”

 

“According to Ueda, neither does your quitting swimming,” Rin said.

 

Misaha clenched her teeth. Why was he being so persistent?

 

Rin clicked his tongue. “Fine, I’ll settle. If I win, you at least have to _reconsider_ your decision to quit. Sound good?”

 

Misaha sighed. “This is ridiculous,” she said as she began walking towards the locker room. She couldn’t reconsider, but at least if she raced him he’d leave her alone.

 

Exiting the changing room, she saw that Rin was already waiting for her.

 

“Are you ready?” He asked her with a smirk.

 

“No,” she replied dully.

 

“Man, I haven’t seen an expression like that in a long time,” Rin laughed. “Okay, so a 100 meter butterfly race-”

 

“Butterfly? Why butterfly?” Misaha asked. If it was butterfly, there wasn’t even a chance for her to win...not like there would have been one to begin with.

 

“Sorry? It’s just, you only mentioned my _gold_ medals earlier, so I guess I assumed,” Rin said. “What stroke do you swim?”

 

“I swim free.”

 

A hint of pain flashed behind Rin’s eyes, but then he gave her a small smile.

 

“Free. Right. Of course,” he said “it will be a 100 meter freestyle race.”

 

“Let’s just get this over with,” Misaha muttered as she climbed up onto the starting block.

 

“Alright, I’ll be calling it,” Ueda said. “On your marks,”

 

Misaha visualized her race. Diving into the water, carving an opening with her fingers, then sliding her body through that opening. Arms, head, chest…

 

“Get set,”

 

Misaha got into her track start, focusing on the spot just above her belly button, stabilizing herself. She inhaled deeply, then exhaled, attuning her body completely to the whistle...

 

_Fweeeeet!_

 

Misaha kicked off, landing her dive perfectly. Rin, of course, had landed ahead of her. She knew she would lose, and it’s not like she cared, but something about him being ahead of her irked her.

 

She broke the surface, coming up a sizable distance behind him. However, that didn’t discourage her. Starting her crawl, she thrust her fingers into the water, carving and opening and sliding her body through it. She managed to keep the distance between them the same, but Rin still entered the turn way ahead of her. She entered the turn, growing annoyed at the sight of Rin’s backside. She wasn’t competitive. She couldn’t care less about winning. Especially since he was an Olympic champion. But the fact that he could feel the water more keenly than she did…that she could _not_ stand.

 

She let her body relax, embracing the water. Welcoming it. She didn’t fear it. She didn’t fear losing. The only thing she felt in this moment was the cool pool water rushing around her body.

 

She touched the pool wall, rising from the surface, gasping for breath. How hard had she even pushed? She looked up at Ueda, but he was only staring at the middle of the pool.

 

Rin had stopped mid race, and she didn’t even realize it.

 

There he was though, standing in the middle of the pool, tears streaming down his face.

 

“It really is you…”

 

“I’m sorry...?” she said. What was he talking about?

 

“Never mind, it’s nothing,” he said, wiping his eyes.

 

Why was he crying? Was he that upset about losing? If he was, it was his own fault for stopping...

 

“What did you say your name was?” Rin asked.

 

“Misaha. Nishimura Misaha.”

 

“Right, well...congratulations Nishimura, you won,” Rin said, extending his hand.

 

Misaha looked at him, still bewildered by what just happened. Then, she took his hand.

 

Rin held her hand in his for a moment, then leaned down so he was eye level with her.

 

“Nishimura…I know I said you could quit if you won, but I beg you to reconsider. You’re talent...it’s the real deal...you have potential you haven’t even tapped yet…”

 

“...what exactly are you trying to say?”

 

“I’m saying I think you could go pro. And I know how to get you there.” Rin smiled.

 

“I want to be your coach.”


	2. Doubt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Light streamed through the window, causing Misaha to squint as she opened her eyes. She sat up and stretched, recalling the strange dream she had just had about racing Matsuoka Rin the night before.
> 
> Or at least she wished it had been a dream…

_Talent? Potential? Why was everyone lying to her? And he wanted her to go pro? To be her coach? She couldn’t keep it in anymore. She started to laugh. It started out as a chuckle, but it kept growing until her entire body was shaking with laughter._

 

_“Nishimura-chan…” Ueda said._

 

_“I’m sorry, but that is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” Misaha said at last. Her face grew stern. “You seriously expect me to believe that I have talent? That I have potential? All these years of swimming and I’ve never heard anyone say that. Not once. So forgive me if I have a hard time believing you.”_

 

_Rin stared at her incredulously._

 

_“Nishimura-chan, that’s not true-”_

 

_“Stop lying to me!” she screamed. “I know who I am! I know what I’m worth! And I am not worth the investment of of a pro-athlete.”_

 

_Silence filled the pool and Misaha could feel both set of eyes on her. Their pity was boring into her, and she didn’t want any of it. She didn’t need it. She could take care of herself, by herself. Unable to stand it any longer, Misaha jumped out of the pool, grabbed her bag, and ran. She could hear Ueda calling out to her, but she didn’t stop. Still dripping wet, she shoved her feet into her shoes, and ran out the door, not daring to look back her entire run home…_

  


Misaha covered her face in her hands. How embarrassingly she had behaved. At least she could gain some comfort in the fact that she would never have to see either of them again.

 

Misaha folded up her blanket and placed it in the barren closet. She looked around the house and saw her mother’s shoes were still missing from the genkan. She must have stayed at the office again. Misaha opened the fridge and sighed. The only thing that was left was a head of cabbage. “Salad it is,” she muttered to herself.

 

Munching the chopped up cabbage, Misaha decided it was probably best to check her messages in case her mom tried to contact her. She went to grab her phone from the pocket in her bag. Misaha froze. It was empty. She _always_ put her phone in that pocket. She dug through the other pockets hurriedly. Nothing. She dumped everything out of her bag and searched…

 

She must have left it a the swim club.

 

“Nooo,” Misaha groaned. She’d _have_ to go back. She got dressed in her uniform and headed out the door. At least she could leave quickly if she made the excuse she had to get to school.

 

Stopping outside the door of Sano SC, Misaha took a deep breath. She could do this. Just grab the phone and get out.

 

“Ah! Nishimura-chan, I thought you’d be back,” called a voice from behind her.

 

Misaha jumped. She knew that voice well enough by now. She turned to see Ueda standing there smiling.

 

“You left your phone here last night,” he said.

 

“Yes, well...I have to get to school so-”

 

“No worries. Let me just unlock the door and I can get it for you.” Ueda walked passed her, pulling out his keys.

 

Why wasn’t he saying anything? After the way she behaved last night he should be upset with her...Maybe it really was a dream? But no, he had remembered she had left her phone in the rush last night, so it must have been real. So why wasn’t he getting angry with her?

 

“Here it is,” Ueda said, pulling the phone out from behind the counter.

 

“Th-thank you…” Misaha whispered. She stood there for a second, unsure if she should use this opportunity to apologize or if she should just get going.

 

“Nishimura-chan, you don’t have to worry about last night,” Ueda said, breaking the silence.

 

“I behaved poorly,” Misaha said, still staring at her phone. “Sorry…”

 

“No, it’s okay! I should apologize, too. I think I intervened somewhere where I shouldn’t have,” Ueda said, scratching his face. “It’s just…your swimming is so inspiring, I was sad to see you quit, ya know?” He smiled at her brightly.

 

Misaha’s eyes grew wide, then she remembered what she had said last night. A new wave of guilt washed over her. Of course Ueda was being sincere. He had always been sincere, but Misaha’s own pride and embarrassment had clouded her reason.

 

“Anyway, you shouldn’t be late to school,” Ueda said.

 

“Right…” Misaha turned to leave, but then she spun back around, bowing low towards Ueda. “Thank you for everything,” she blurted out, then ran out the door.

 

God she was _so_ pathetic. She couldn’t even thank someone without getting flustered. She flipped her phone open, expecting to see a message from her mom, but instead seeing one from a new contact.

 

**Matsuoka Rin.**

 

Did he seriously put his contact in her phone? Misaha sighed. She supposed that’s the least she deserved after behaving the way she did. She opened the message:

 

**Nishimura,**

 

**Sorry for making such a big offer out of the blue last night. I realize that it must have overwhelmed you and that it may not even be what you wanted.**

 

**However, I would still like to meet with you one more time to apologize properly. After that, you can delete my contact information if you so wish.**

 

**Meet me at this address after school.**

 

**Matsuoka Rin.**

 

Misaha gripped the phone. Maybe she had misjudged him. He seemed like a schemer, but perhaps he was more honest than she originally thought. Deciding she would meet with him after she got out of her after-school job, Misaha texted him back the time she’d be there.

 

She was about to put the phone away, but she looked at the address again.

 

Why was it all the way over by the Misagozaki shrine?


	3. Dusty Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Misaha looked up the stone steps and sighed. Was all this really necessary? With that thought, she began to climb to the house halfway up the steps to the shrine...

He was joking right? He _had_ to be joking.

 

Misaha checked the message on her phone with the address. No, this was right. It’s not as if Misaha’s own house wasn’t falling apart as well, it’s just she expected an Olympic champion to live in something a little more...upscale?

 

Sighing, she knocked on the door. However, it wasn’t Rin that answered the door. Instead, a tall, thin man with a long, scraggly beard and upturned eyebrows opened the door. Misaha jumped on reflex. She wasn’t particular scared, but something about the aura that surrounded him made her feel uneasy...

 

The man eyed her up and down and mumbled, “Look, whatever you’re selling, I’m not buying it…”

 

Misaha blinked. “Oh!” she said, realizing she was still in her work clothes, “I’m not-” she stopped. What was she supposed to say? She was here because a famous athlete told her to? “I think he gave me the wrong address…” she thought aloud.

 

“He...? Wait, who told you to come here?” The man asked.

 

“I...well…um…” Misaha stuttered.

 

The man continued to look at her, his green eyes unyielding.

 

“...a man named Matsuoka Rin…” Misaha admitted.

 

“I thought I told him-” the man huffed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Look, I appreciate you coming to see me, but I’m really not interested in coaching anyone-”

 

“Coaching? Matsuoka-san told me to come here so he could apologize to me!”

 

“Rin,” the man growled. “I swear, he’s always scheming something up.”

 

“He does seem like a slippery kind of guy…” Misaha muttered.

 

The man snorted. “You don’t know the half of it…look, I don’t know what Rin told you, but why don’t you have some tea with me? Maybe we can figure out what this slippery guy wants.” He opened his door and gave her a soft smile. While the aura surrounding the man didn’t dissipate, it definitely relaxed, making Misaha feel more comfortable.

 

“Okay...sorry for the intrusion…” she said, taking off her shoes in the genkan.

 

“No worries,” the man said with a smile. “I’m Tachibana Makoto, by the way.”

 

“Nishimura Misaha. Nice to meet you,” she said, bowing slightly.

 

“Please, make yourself comfortable in the living room. I’ll prepare the tea.”

 

Misaha sat down on a cushion at the table. While the house was neglected, it certainly wasn’t as empty as hers. There were several shelves behind her, all lined with dusty photographs and books. Misaha reached out to one photograph and wiped the grime off of it with her sleeve.

 

Her eyes grew wide. It was a photo of four young boys who looked like they had just won some sort of relay. On the left was Makoto, but second from the right was…

 

“Ah-hem,” Makoto cleared his throat.

 

Misaha placed the photo back on the shelf quickly and folded her hands in her lap. “Sorry…” she said softly.

 

“It’s fine…” he said as he placed the tea tray down on the table. He sat down and poured the tea, handing her a cup and then sipping his own in silence.

 

“Is that...Matsuoka-san? In the photo?” she asked hesitantly.

 

Makoto continued to sip his tea without comment, so Misaha dropped the question and drank her tea quietly.

 

Once they finished, Makoto turned to her.

 

“So...Rin tells me you’re a swimmer.”

 

“Yes. I swim,” she said, “or rather I _swam_...” she added under her breath.

 

Makoto paused. “Are you quitting?” he asked, his tone neither judging nor overly interested.

 

Misaha hesitated. “It’s not exactly that I’m quitting…” Despite the strange aura, there was something about Makoto that felt...familiar. It was almost if she knew him somehow.

 

Makoto took a moment, then he stood up and looked out the window. “Do you want to swim competitively?” he asked at length.

 

“Is that what Matsuoka-san told you?”

 

Makoto turned and looked at her, but didn’t say anything.

 

Misaha bit her lip. It’s not something she _hadn’t_ thought about, making a career out of her love for swimming, but no one had ever told she _could_ do it...not until yesterday. That, and...

 

“...I don’t want to lose the reason I swim…”

 

“Oh? Why do you swim, then?” Makoto asked.

 

Crap! Had she muttered that out loud? Misaha’s cheeks flushed as she struggled to put her feelings into words.

 

“I guess…” she said slowly, “I want to feel the water...with my skin...my eyes...my soul...not doubting the way it makes me feel…” Misaha paused. This probably sounded ridiculous to him. “I swim for myself... everything goes away when I’m in the water...” Why was she telling him all this?

 

“In short,” she said “I swim to be free!”

 

With that last word, the picture frame from earlier fell off the shelf, shattering the glass.

 

“Ah! I’m so sorry! I must have not put it back on all the way!” Misaha said, but Makoto just stared at her, unmoving. “I’ll clean it up!” she said, trying to pick up the glass pieces.

 

“Don’t!” Makoto said. He grabbed her hands. “Please...you’ll hurt yourself if you try to pick that up...” He lingered for a moment, staring at her hands. It almost looked as if he was about to cry.

 

Then it hit Misaha. The aura she has been feeling...was one of deep sorrow.

 

Makoto let go of her hands and then looked her in the eyes, his gaze radiating intensity.

 

“Misaha-chan,” he said, “would you like to go swimming before you head back home?”


End file.
